SDSU climbs to No. 10 in AP hoops poll

Aztecs achieve highest ranking since end of 2010-11 season

Aqeel Quinn #10, JJ O'Brien #20, and Skylar Spencer #0 of the San Diego State Aztecs celebrate as the Aztecs defeat the Kansas Jayhawks 61-57 to win the game at Allen Fieldhouse.
— Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Aqeel Quinn #10, JJ O'Brien #20, and Skylar Spencer #0 of the San Diego State Aztecs celebrate as the Aztecs defeat the Kansas Jayhawks 61-57 to win the game at Allen Fieldhouse.
/ Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Aztecs (14-1) climbed three spots to No. 10 in the latest Associated Press poll released Monday morning, meaning they have jumped 11 positions in two weeks after four wins – three of them on the road, one of them at Kansas. In the USA Today coaches poll, also released Monday, they moved from No. 15 to 11.

It is SDSU’s highest ranking in the AP since the final poll of the 2010-11 season, when the Aztecs were No. 6 entering the NCAA Tournament. They are 22-3 all-time as a Top 10 team.

The highest ranking in school history: No. 4, during the 34-3 season of '10-11.

SDSU passed Ohio State, Baylor and Louisville, all of which lost last week. Ohio State lost twice, at No. 4 Michigan State and at home to No. 14 Iowa, and tumbled from No. 3 to 11. Baylor went from No. 7 to 12, Louisville from No. 12 to 18.

What also helped, no doubt, was an impressive week by Kansas after SDSU’s 61-57 win at Allen Fieldhouse two Sundays ago. The Jayhawks moved up to No. 15 after winning 90-83 at Oklahoma and 86-60 against then-No. 25 Kansas State.

Arizona, the only team to beat SDSU, remained No. 1, ahead of fellow unbeatens Syracuse and Wisconsin. Then come Michigan State, Wichita State, Villanova, Florida, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The only other western team in either poll is UCLA, which is 25th in the coaches and tied for 25th with Oklahoma in the AP.

SDSU also remained strong in the major computer metrics, at No. 14 in RPI (Kansas is 2) and No. 21 in kenpom.com. It stayed No. 1 nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.357) but slipped from second to third in points allowed (55.7) after Air Force scored 72 while shooting 51.9 percent, the best against the Aztecs this season.

The Aztecs are home all week, hosting Fresno State on Wednesday night at 7 (ESPN3 Internet only) and UNLV on Saturday at 3 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).